For additional information, please visit our website or view the full job description.

The Opportunity

LZF seeks an experienced and values-aligned fundraising professional to lead its growing philanthropic and engagement activities. Reporting to the Executive Director, the Director of Development & Communications will oversee all aspects of LZF’s comprehensive fundraising program, including annual and major gifts, planned gifts, grants, events, and in-kind donations from individual, foundation, and corporate donors. This person will help to translate organizational strategy into clear and detailed action plans, playing a key role elevating LZF’s thought leadership as well as in the relationship building, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship of major individual and institutional donors to increase contributed revenue. The Director of Development & Communications supervises the Development & Communications Coordinator and works closely with LZF’s Board of Directors, development committee members, funders, and other key stakeholders to achieve or exceed The Fund’s annual revenue goals (~$1.4M in FY26). This position also offers invaluable experiences in both grantmaking and philanthropy.

Key Areas of Responsibility

Fundraising

• Create and execute a comprehensive annual fundraising plan designed to meet and ideally exceed LZF’s annual revenue goals.
• Oversee the strategy, planning, and implementation of LZF’s diversified revenue generation strategies, currently including institutional grants, individual donations, planned giving, in-kind contributions, events, and corporate sponsorships.
  • Strategically identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward all prospects and supporters
  • Manage LZF’s institutional funding, including maintaining an annual grants calendar, researching and prospecting, writing grant proposals, and submitting grant reports.
  • Plan and execute various printed and electronic appeals throughout the year, including for signature annual fundraising events The Zakim Light (September), No Show Ball (November), and year-end appeal.
  • Grow LZF’s new planned giving program launched in fall 2025.
• Serve as main point of contact externally for all development inquiries.
• Staff LZF’s Development and Communications Committee: co-create monthly meeting agendas with Committee co-chairs and manage associated board fundraising.
• Oversee LZF’s donor CRM (Donor Perfect), ensuring timely and accurate data keeping on donor gifts, touch points, and contact information.
• Oversee gift acknowledgements and IRS compliance regarding fundraising.

Communications

• With the Development & Communications Coordinator, create and execute annual communications plans designed to raise LZF’s visibility, inspire the philanthropic sector, and support fundraising.
• Supervise execution of various printed and electronic communications throughout the year, including e-newsletters, social media posts, stewardship mailings, case studies, website updates, and targeted campaigns.
• Work with ED to translate 30-Year Impact Study Findings into targeted communications, with support from external marketing and communications consultant.
• Work with ED to identify opportunities for LZF to represent grassroots organizations in the field and to deepen the organization’s public engagement and thought leadership.

Events

• With the Development & Communications Coordinator and Grants & Program Coordinator, plan and execute Annual Awards Ceremony (February), which serves as both a celebration of our newest cohort of grantee partners and a donor stewardship event.
• Plan and execute The Zakim Light (September), LZF’s signature annual fundraising event. This event includes a preview event and a silent auction.
• As needed, plan and execute upwards of 2 Bridge Builder events annually to share LZF’s learnings with the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors (usually no more than once per year).
• Recruit and manage event planning and host committees. Managing LZF’s contracted event planner and other vendors.

Organizational

• [Mandatory in first year; optional after] Participate in LZF’s annual grant cycle as a member of the Community Investments Committee: read and evaluate applications, staff site visits, and vote on final grant decisions.
• Contribute to organizational strategy and planning discussions at the staff- and board-levels, including annual budgeting and audit processes. Implement revenue and communications strategies and prepare regular progress reports.
• Represent LZF externally at network calls, meetings, and events. Attend weekly staff meetings, quarterly board meetings, and annual ½ day board retreat. Take advantage of professional development opportunities as available.
• Supervise and mentor the Development & Communications Coordinator, including weekly check-ins, annual review, and generally supporting their learning and growth.
• Other appropriate duties, as assigned.

Work Expectations

• This is a hybrid position
  • Must be based in Eastern Massachusetts, with a preference for the Greater Boston Area
  • Able to work from LZF’s office in Boston 3 days a week (Tuesday through Thursday)
  • Employees are provided with an LZF-owned laptop
• Have access to reliable transportation (i.e., valid driver’s license) for events and donor visits as needed
• Business casual dress code per the professional decorum standards of the law firm which generously donates our office space
• Flexibility to occasionally work outside of the normal workday or work week (i.e., events, dinners)

Must-Have Qualifications and Skillsets

• A commitment to social justice: Strong alignment with LZF's mission, understanding of and engagement with critical issues in the field, and an understanding of how inequity shows up in systems, institutions, organizations, and interpersonal interactions.
• Place-based and sector knowledge: Understanding of and familiarity with the eastern Massachusetts nonprofit and philanthropic sectors as well as broader field trends.
• Communication skills: Excellent oral and written communication skills. Ability to present information, including quantitative data, to a variety of audiences in a compelling, logical, and error-free manner.
• Interpersonal skills: Excellent interpersonal skills, awareness of power dynamics, commitment and demonstrated ability to maintain confidentiality and build trust with diverse constituents.
• Strategic thinking: Strong ability to think critically, logically, and creatively. Be able to work with quantitative and qualitative data, test assumptions, draw data-backed conclusions, and translate those conclusions into concrete recommendations and practices while maintaining strategic direction and mission alignment.
• Project management skills: Keen attention to detail, competency in managing team members with varying positional power, and the ability to proactively manage multiple competing priorities to ensure that work is completed accurately, efficiently, and on time across the team. Ability to retain a sense of grace and humor under pressure.
• Flexibility: Ability to work flexibly both independently and collaboratively, particularly in support of other team members as needed. Ability to handle the ambiguity that may come with a cross-functional role in small, entrepreneurial organization.
• Organizational skills: Strong organizational and time management skills, including the ability to learn, build, and iterate on new systems and processes.
• Office skills: Comfort with email, digital workspace organization, scheduling, Microsoft Office Suite, Zoom, and strong digital literacy (including AI tools). Familiarity with or ability to quickly learn Constant Contact and Donor Perfect (CRM).
• Work experience: 7+ development work experience, including:
  • Successful track record of securing 5-figure gifts, with exposure to 6-figure asks
  • Experience writing successful grant applications and grant reports
  • Broad understanding of development from appeals to events
  • Experience within small or mid-sized nonprofits ($500K-$2M)
  • Supervisory experience strongly preferred
  • Communications and marketing experience strongly preferred
• Formal education: Bachelor's degree or equivalent.
• U.S. work authorization: As a small nonprofit, we are unable to sponsor visas.

A strong candidate will also have:

• Event planning or production experience
• Digital content creation skills (i.e. Canva, Adobe Creative Suite)
• Strong social media skills across a range of target audiences and platforms
• Language skills relevant to LZF’s grantee partner and donor communities (currently Spanish, Vietnamese, American Sign Language, Mandarin)